Olivares: Our Daily Travels on the via Crusis

Well alright, alright, aaah no! Though Matthew McConaughey may be ready to “dale gas” behind his classic Chevy Chevelle, commuting across the Rio Grande Valley can leave you enraged and confused.

Saint Matthew has not experienced the via crusis that starts in San Juan, but is not around the Basilica of San Juan, but along the Pharr interchange of Interstates 2 and 69C. The colossal $303 million project stretches for eight miles and is attended by 500 construction workers.

Are they gone yet? When will we be free of this perverse traffic limbo? It’s been two … whole … years. The Census tells us the average Valley commute is under 23 minutes. Lie. The Census was completed in April 2020, before construction started in 2021. If you’ve been late for a meeting across the Valley, chances are … you’ve gone through Pharr.

So, who are our fellow motorists? Most vehicles are occupied by a single commuter, typically driving one of the most common vehicles in Texas: Ford F150, Nissan Altima, Chevy Silverado, or Toyota Camery or Corolla. Most trips are without mishap.

However, next time on your commute look at the black tire skid marks along U.S. 83 or actually etched onto the concrete dividers or even scarier … on the flyover bridge walls! Dios mio! Each tells a story. The Rio Grande Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization (RGVMPO) has mapped these accidents.  Anecdotally, it seams it the crazy C drivers (Camaros, Challengers, Chargers and Corvettes) that are tailgating or speeding. Women have a rap for being bad drivers, but gentlemen, we are responsible for most vehicular and pedestrian and biking accidents in Texas.

So how can we be better motorists? Of course, check your vehicle (eg, gas, tires, mirrors), weather and travel time before leaving home. Cell phone apps like Waze, Apple Maps or google maps help ride shotgun as you get down the road. Once on the expressway, make use of this tech. There is another tech device that is now standard on all vehicles. It’s located on the left side of the steering wheel. It’s called a turn signal. Trouble is, it does not work if you don’t use it. Use it. Thousands of your fellow motorist thank you. And, for the love of God, use the left lane for passing and return to the right lane for traveling. Again, thank you.

We all learned these basic rules of the road when studying the Texas Driver Handbook for our driver’s license exam. The exam wasn’t too difficult, but traveling on your commute does take some work. Apropos, “travel” is derived from travail, meaning painful or tortuous effort; trabajo.

Please feel free to share useful commuting tips, pet peeves, etc., with co-workers or with family this Easter. We could all use a break from the staid conversation on the weather. This is a safe topic, right?

The Pharr exchange will be completed this year, but if your weekday schlep takes you through Mission, raise a quick wave at our local Texas Transportation Commissioner Alex Meade. Pray he brings us the next $100 million mega project. Dale gas.

Editor’s Note: The above guest column was penned by Leonardo Olivares, JD MPA ICMA-CM, a Rio Grande City native living in Weslaco. Olivares has been commuting across Hidalgo and Starr counties for years. The column appears in The Rio Grande Guardian International News Service with the permission of the author. Olivares can be reached by email via: leo@leonardoolivares.com

The post Olivares: Our Daily Travels on the via Crusis appeared first on Rio Grande Guardian.